The Heart of the Land
by Sage Cypress
Summary: Sorcha is a divided world. In the North, the Sun Kingdom resides and in the South, the Moon Kingdom. Each Kingdom battles to become the superior leaders of Sorcha. Their only hope, a teenage girl from another world.
1. Chapter 1

_A flash of pure light. A scream in the dark. A wild rushing. Silence. A baby's wail._

I fell to the ground with a hard thud. Instinctively, I rolled to my side to protect the baby. I didn't know where I was or how I got there, though I could feel grass on my face and when I looked up, I saw the green tops of the trees, barely visible against the night sky. I appeared to be in a meadow of some sort. The baby's cry gathered my attention and I tore my eyes away from my surroundings to see to the child. I moved to see what was wrong and when I reached out for the baby, I saw the blood. With horror, I looked upon myself and screamed. My hands were completely stained red and it was slowly seeping through my clothes to my skin.

Before I could process anything, the baby's cry demanded my attention. I crawled the last few steps to her, but when I saw her, I couldn't help myself. I ran, leaving the baby alone, to seek the shelter of the trees. I don't know where I ran, but it was only until I heard water did my senses kick in. I rushed towards it and jumped in without a second thought. The water quickly began to give me chills, something I registered as wrong at the back of my mind, seeing as it was summer in Sorcha. When the cold became unbearable, I retreated from the water and began to wander through the trees. Eventually, I somehow managed to find my way back to the clearing where the baby girl was still crying. I went over to her and sat next to her, fearing to pick her up because of my wet clothes. After what seemed an eternity, she stopped crying and fell asleep. It was at this moment I looked straight up at the starry night. When I saw a sky both familiar and alien, I began to cry.

This was not Sorcha's sky. This was Earth's sky. I was in Earth, my birthplace, when I wanted to be in Sorcha, my home. I wept and wept and wept some more. Finally the tears dried and I began to think, and to remember. As my memories returned, I wanted to push them back; so far back I would never have to see such images again. Everything on Sorcha had gone wrong. I was not supposed to be here, not alone and not covered in blood. Once again I began to cry. I knew whose blood it had been. I knew who the child was. I knew why I was on Earth, and I knew what I had to do. I picked up the baby and began to walk. _I will set this straight. Sorcha will be saved and you will not have died in vain. _The baby began to stir and I looked down at her. And as she opened her eyes, the sun rose.


	2. Chapter 2

_16 years later_

I glanced at the clock, and groaned when it was already past one o'clock. I had school first thing tomorrow and Mom would not forgive me if I woke up late. Taking a look out the window, I saw the park lights still on. How was I supposed to sleep with those glaring at me? Getting up from the computer, I went across the hall to the living room and began to search through the numerous boxes for my things. That was the worst part about moving, having to pack everything up then just unpack it once again, only in a different location. I quickly changed, brushed my teeth and jumped into bed. Despite being nervous about my first day of school, I soon fell asleep.

The blaring alarm woke me up a couple hours later. Reluctantly, I crawled out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. Mom was already up making breakfast once I finished washing up. She shot a glance at me and said "You stayed up late last night didn't you Skylar?" I grimaced, too tired to make a reply. She sighed, "I could hear you, rummaging around. If you are going to sneak around, at least do it quietly." A plate of eggs was placed down in front of me. "Eat up, then we have to get going to make it on time."

When we got to the school, Mom dropped me off with little more than a "Good luck!" because she was late for her job at the hospital. As I maneuvered my way through the crowds outside the front of the school, I noticed that the majority of the people either ignored me or just didn't notice. This was good. Many years of being the new kid gave much experience in adjusting to the high school population. It was never a good thing to be noticed right away, it meant that they had noticed something about you that made you stand out. You might look different to them, which in school, was never a good thing. I followed the large crowd of students into the school and looked around. There was a staircase that led to the classes upstairs and to the right, two double doors with a sign above reading "Main Office". I made my way to the office and walked up to the secretary. I stopped in front of her desk, cluttered with pictures of her family and friends. She was talking on the phone and gestured for me to take a seat. I sat down in a slightly uncomfortable chair and looked around the office. To my left was a case filled with various artwork, clay pots, paintings and photographs. Towards the back of the office there was a line of kids, presumably waiting for a note to be written. When the secretary finally hung up, I got up and walked back over to her. Without looking up she asked "Name?" I blinked and answered "Skylar Jackson." She looked up and peered at me. "Ah, you're the new girl," I nodded and she entered some information into the computer. The printer made a groaning noise and as it finished, the secretary grabbed the paper and shoved it at me. "This is your schedule," she told me absentmindedly, already turning back to her previous work. "Since you're new, your teachers shouldn't be too mad if you're late to class, but I would still hurry if I were you." When I just stood there, she looked back up at me raising an eyebrow. "Can I help you with anything else?" "Oh. No, thank you." I replied. Once again she turned back to her work I quickly walked back towards the double doors that I came through. Taking a deep breath, I headed down the hall to my first class.

The day passed like any other first day of school. Kids stared when you walked in, asked you questions about where you came from, lost interest and went back to their own conversations. Not soon enough, the bell for the end of the day rang and everyone began sprinting out of school. I took out my cell phone and saw that Mom had left me a message apologizing because she would be a few minutes late but to wait for her outside. I looked around, spotted a wall and walked to sit down against it. To entertain myself I pulled out the book I had been assigned in English. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps coming towards me and when I looked up, there was a man heading for where I was. I looked back down at my book, hoping he would just pass by me.

"Excuse me, but would you happen to know where I would pick a student up?"

So much for wishful thinking.

I looked up at him. "Sorry I just moved here, I don't know much." He smiled and his green eyes lit up, "You must be the one that moved into the house across from the park!" I gave him a funny look, for that was exactly where the house was. He saw my look and began to apologize "I don't mean to scare you out; it's just that I live in the house next to you, the one with the oak tree in front, and I noticed that the house had been sold." A dark man, he looked as if he was fresh out of college. Sticking his hand out, he introduced himself.

"I'm Evan. It's a pleasure to meet you"

I slowly reached my hand out and shook it. "I'm Skylar," Once again he smiled and began to speak when he suddenly stopped and turned to look at something on the right. I followed his gaze and saw another man standing off to the side. All I could make out was that he had red hair when my view was blocked by Evan.

"Well it's been great talking to you but I have to go pick up my sister, I'll see you around," With that, he turned towards the school and disappeared within. When I looked back at the red headed man, he was gone. Puzzled, I sat there contemplating until a familiar car pulled up. I grabbed my stuff and jumped into Mom's car. She turned to me and gave me a big smile.

"So how was your first day?" She asked as she began to pull out from the parking lot, to which I merely gave her a look. "Oh come on, it couldn't have been all bad, tell me one good thing about it."

"Mom, its school and I'm the new kid, you do the math". I looked over to see her frowning. Once we stopped at a red light she started to talk.

"Skylar, I know its hard moving around, but it's really important that we keep moving."

"For your job?"

"Yes."

"Mom, you work at a hospital."

"So?"

"There are hospitals everywhere!" I exclaimed. The light turned green and we started moving again. There was silence for the rest of the car ride home. When we pulled up into the driveway, Mom put the car in park and looked at me again, frowning.

"I don't expect you to understand why we move around so much, but just know it's necessary." And that was when I couldn't take it anymore.

"Why do you keep so many secrets from me? I'm not eight years old anymore Mom, you can't trick me into thinking every time we move it's so we can go on some fabulous adventure! I don't have a normal life because of you, and I doubt I ever will!" With that I stormed out of the car, slamming the door and stomped across the street towards the park without looking back.

When I entered the park, I looked around. I could either go towards the playground with a bunch of screaming children, or go towards the quiet lake. I headed towards the lake and walked the trail down to the water, still angry over Mom's insistence that she treat me like a child. When I reached the water's edge I stared out across the lake at the trees on the opposite side. I then walked to a bench hidden in the trees and I sat for a while trying to cool down, when I saw Mom coming towards me. Looking up, I saw her with two ice cream cones, her arm extended to offer me one. I ignored it and turned my head the opposite way as she sat down next to me.

She looked at me. "I'm sorry Skylar." She then turned towards the lake and began to eat her ice cream, all the while fingering the pendant that she wore around her neck. I hadn't heard the words I'd wanted to hear. I wanted to hear that we weren't going to move again and we were staying here forever. But I wasn't so foolish as to start another fight again. I knew that we would probably move again, and I knew that Mom wouldn't promise something that she knew wouldn't come true. In quiet acceptance, I took the other ice cream and we sat watching the water in silence.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The weekend, the most sacred two days in the life of a teenager. Most spend their days hanging out with friends, going to the mall or seeing a movie. However, I, being the perpetual new kid with no friends, am stuck at home bored out of my mind. It had been a week since the fight between Mom and me. Throughout the week, I've seen Evan around the neighborhood and we've become friends. He was in fact, the only friend I made in the neighborhood and in school.

Currently, I was lounging on the basement couch, trying to concentrate on a particular nasty math problem. Looking it over one more time, I sighed and pushed it away in disgust. I sat there drumming my fingers against my leg, searching around the room for something to do. After finding nothing, I got up off my seat and made my way upstairs. Awaiting me was a pile of boxes yet to be unpacked after moving. I sighed, "Why not? There's nothing better to do." I reached for the first box labeled, "Sky's Clothes." I was ferrying the multitude of shorts and shirts from the living room to my room, when I heard a knock at the door. Dropping the pile of various clothing on my bed, I maneuvered my way through the maze of boxes to the front door. I glanced out the window and smiled when I saw green eyes twinkling at me.

"Hey Evan," I said, opening the door and letting him in. He winked at me. "Nice to see you settling in," he said, eyeing the boxes. I apologized for the mess and he just shrugged it off.

"You got to start somewhere, you know," he said with an infectious grin, I led him to the kitchen table and moved to the kitchen to get him something to drink.

During the first days we had been here, Mom and I came to know Evan well. He had no parents and lived with his sister in the house across the street from us. He was twenty-five years old, straight out of college, he had an office job in the state government. I was never interested in politics and zoned out on the conversation when he and Mom got talking about his job and the government.

"Here," I handed him a glass of lemonade. Evan once again smiled, thanked me and took a big sip. Once he was finished, he took a look around.

"You need any help unpacking?" he asked. I shook my head, "You are not allowed to help, you're just a guest." He got up and went to the nearest box which was under the front window. "It's no problem," he began to open the box. Shrugging, I walked over and began to open the box next to him.

After a few minutes of casual conversation, Evan stopped moving and turned to look out the window. I followed his gaze and saw through the window the same red haired man that I had seen the first time I met Evan.

"Who is that? I've seen him before," I said curiously, looking to Evan. He turned sharply to me, eyes filled with turmoil. Slightly scared, I backed away and when he saw my hesitation, he relaxed his expression.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he began to speak, "Sorry Sky, just a fellow employee who likes to stick around." I blinked; shocked that he would lie so blatantly. I mean really, he could have thought of a better lie than that!

He began to talk again, "I have to leave, I forgot that I had to pick up sis from the mall." Evan turned, walked to the door and left without another word, leaving me standing utterly confused. I walked around a box to look out the window, just in time to see Evan beginning to argue with the red headed man. Upon closer scrutiny, I could make out that he had a scar, going straight through his left eye. He did not respond to Evan's frantic hand motions or his raised voice. Instead, he turned and headed for the park. Evan stopped his protests and began to follow him, anger still evident in his stride.

Moving quickly, I grabbed the house key, locked the door and began to follow them. I walked across the street and when I reached the park entrance, I saw a quick flash of red heading towards the water. Instead of taking the path, I walked into the woods to avoid being seen. As I came closer, I could hear the pair arguing but I only caught snatches of the argument due to the strong wind.

"… Can't take her!"

"…necessary… Kaia…defeat the Sun…" I inhaled sharply, Kaia was my mother's name, what did this man have to do with her?

"…built a life…survive on our own…" From what I could gather, the red haired man wanted something from my mom and me, but Evan was trying to dissuade him. Suddenly scared, I moved back into the trees until I couldn't hear them at all. I made my way back to the entrance, stumbling over rocks along the way. When I pulled out my key and opened the door I shakily made my way to the couch. I leaned over, my head between my legs, to catch my breath. Rubbing my face with my hands, I sighed, "What was going on?" I had a million thoughts rushing through my brain but that was all I seemed to be able to say out loud.

When I removed my hands, I noticed a box under the couch. Getting down on the floor, I reached for it and pulled out a cardboard box labeled, "Kaia." Curiosity getting the better of me, I opened it up and dug through the peanut packaging. To my surprise, it was empty except for a small wooden box, about the size of a deck of cards. Attempting to open it, I found I couldn't. Turning it over in my hands, I found an ornate lock on it. It was unlike any lock I had ever seen. Instead of there being a key hole, there was a metal circle with an indent running the length of it vertically. The indent itself was in the shape of a vine with leaves stemming from it. I looked closer at it, something tugging at my memory.

I had seen this design before, I was sure of it. I closed my eyes and tried to think of where I saw it but all I could seem to bring to mind was the argument I had heard between Evan and the strange man. Giving up, I put the wooden box back into the sea of foam, resealed the cardboard box and placed it back under the couch. When I looked at the clock, I determined that I had an hour or two before Mom got back. After all of today's exhausting events, I decided that a nap was in order. Moving to my room, I shoved all the clothes off my bed and onto the floor, not caring where they ended up, and laid down and promptly fell asleep.

I woke to the front door slamming shut. Muttering incoherently, I rolled over, not fully awake. Vaguely I heard footsteps coming my way, accompanied by a voice calling my name. The door opened and I heard Mom whisper my name, and then quietly close the door.

When I woke up for a second time, I stayed awake. Groggily, I sat up and walked towards the kitchen where I smelled dinner cooking. Mom was cooking spaghetti for dinner and my stomach growled in response. Mom half turned around and smiled at me, gesturing for me to take a seat with the spoon she was using. I did as she said and soon a pile of noodles covered in red sauce was in front of me.

Mom began to speak, "So how was your nap? Sorry if I woke you up earlier, I didn't know you were sleeping." She leaned across the table for the cheese and a glint caught my eye. Looking closer, I saw Mom's necklace that had fallen out of her blouse. My eyes widened, I realized where I had seen the design before on the locked box under the couch, it was the same as the vine pendant Mom always wore! Lost in my thoughts about the lock, I didn't realize Mom was calling my name.

"Skylar!" I looked up and answered with a noncommittal "Huh?" She sighed. "I called your name three times before you responded. Are you alright? You don't usually nap; maybe we should go to the doctor…" She trailed off looking worriedly into my face. This time it was my turn to sigh.

"I'm good, just not fully awake yet. How was work?" I inquired in an effort to change the subject. Evidently it worked because she started talking about her patients at the hospital and I began to mull over the day's events. I didn't understand a lot about what was going on but I did know that Evan obviously knew the red headed man despite his claims otherwise. It was also clear that the red headed man knew my mother somehow after eavesdropping in the park. I gathered it had something to do with the small box, after all, why else would Mom wear the key around her neck for years if it wasn't important in some way?

Later that evening, Mom and I were sitting on the living room couch, reading quietly. However, I had other things racing through my head. I had developed a plan. Once Mom went to bed, I would sneak in and grab the key, look in the box and then return it. Granted, I had no idea what was in the box and therefore no idea of how I would react. I would get over that speed bump when it came. Soon enough, Mom started to yawn; it wouldn't be long before she went to bed.

Mom got up, stretched and put her book down. "It's time for the old woman to go to bed," she announced. Giving me a kiss on the cheek and a last goodnight, she moved down the hall and shut the door to her room.

I waited for some hours before deciding to go sneak into her room. Dithering around on the computer, I glanced at the clock. It had been two hours since she had gone to bed, plenty of time for Mom to fall asleep. I got up slowly, mindful of the squeak the computer chair made. When I was standing outside Mom's door, I took a deep breath and twisted the doorknob. The room was dark and I could barely make out my Mom's form amongst the sheets. Taking my time, I crept over to her bedside table. Waiting quietly for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, I soon was able to make out objects. Searching, I looked on top of the table and in the drawers, but found nothing. I was about to give up and head out when Mom made a sound and rolled over to face me on her side. Getting an idea, I leaned in closer and saw I was right, she was wearing the key. Reaching out, I brushed back her hair from her neck to reach the clasp. As I moved to undo the clasp, Mom's eyes shot open. In a flash, she grabbed my arm, twisted it around my back and pushed me onto the bed. Shocked, I let out a cry.

I couldn't see Mom, but I heard a whisper, "Skylar?" before my arm was released and I collapsed fully onto the bed, face down. I couldn't think. What had just happened?

I hear Mom's choked cries. "Skylar! Sky! I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you! I am so, so sorry!" I turned over and faced her. When I focused on her face, my brain finally had caught up, and I grew angry.

"What the hell was that for?" I exclaimed and stood up which caused her to back up a little, but did little to prevent the frown.

"Language!" she automatically snapped at me and to which I blew up again.

"How can you care about _my _language when you just slam dunked me into the bed?" I was outraged. "What kind of reaction it that in the first place?"

Mom lost her calm. "Well what were you doing in my room hovering over me in the first place? You expect me to wake up and not get upset over the fact that a stranger was in my room?"

Once I realized that my motives were being questioned, my anger deflated and I tried to redirect the conversation, "So now I'm some stranger?"

Mom ran her fingers through her hair, her intensity dying down as mine had. "You know what I mean, and you still haven't answered my question, what where you doing in the first place?"

Hesitating, I tried to think up a quick excuse. But one look into Mom's eyes told me she wasn't having any of it. So I sighed and told her about my finding of the box, not meeting her eyes. I was now realizing how stupid it was of me to sneak around, especially after a reaction like that. I did however omit my eavesdropping on Evan and the man. I figured that Mom wouldn't be too pleased about that one. When I finished, I looked up and was surprised to find Mom's face pale. After a pause, Mom's eyes softened and she spoke.

"Come on, let's go make some hot chocolate, I have some things to share with you about that little box." Confused, I followed her out into the kitchen. We worked in silence, Mom boiling water and I set up the mugs. My thoughts were racing. What could be so important? Finally, the kettle broke the silence with its sing and Mom moved to pour the hot water into the mugs where the powdered chocolate laid waiting. As I took my mug to the table and sat down, Mom set her mug down on the table and walked into the living room to retrieve the box. Before doing anything with it though, she looked me dead in the eye.

"Skylar, before I tell you this I need you to know that I love you very much and no matter what feelings you will have towards me, I will always support you. Look me back in the eye and tell me you know this." I did as she asked, hesitantly, for it sounded like a cliché movie to me. Mom was satisfied though and she took off her necklace and placed the key into the lock. The box opened slightly, signifying that it was unlocked, before Mom opened it completely. I looked inside, curious as to what lay inside. The wooden box itself was hollow, but filled with a black silk cloth. Nestled in the cloth was a small ball. No bigger than an eraser, it was a pure white, with no imperfections that I could make out. When I touched it, it felt warm, as though it had been basking in the sun, soaking up precious rays of light. It was only when the box started to move away from me did I look up to see Mom pulling it away, then closing it shut and locking it.

"What is it?" I asked, all anger at her that had been completely forgotten. Mom smiled ruefully, and began to spin her tale.

"It's magic, technically it is my energy in tangible form. You see when a person comes of age, they look deep into themselves. No one quite knows what happens because everyone has a different experience. This 'journey' causes you to gather your essence, everything that makes you, you. Once you become aware of yourself again, the magic has formed into something the eye can see. After that, you can use its power to perform magic. However, every time you draw on its strength, it is considered to be 'activated'. This means that anyone who is looking for you can find you by feeling for your impression that is uniquely yours and is left behind after the magic has been performed." She looked down for a moment and when she looked back up I could see tears in her eyes.

"I lost my best friend this way. We were fighting a terrible tyranny, trying not only to save ourselves, but the lives of two innocent children who were to be sacrificed for an evil purpose." Mom looked directly at me, tears streaming down her face.

I was dumbstruck. Magic? Sacrifice? What was happening? I now wished I never had followed Evan, nor found the box. Why was Mom telling me such outrageous lies?

"You know, if you didn't want me to open the box, you could have just said so instead of lying to me." I spoke coldly, watching how Mom's face fell at my words.

"But Sky, it's true, all of it! I swear to it." Mom pleaded with me, trying to win me over, but I wasn't having any of it.

"Even if the part about the children is true, magic? Really? I've known there hasn't been magic in the world since I was seven. I've grown out of fairy tales." I stood up, intending to go to my room to sleep and forget everything that had just happened.

Mom stopped me, grabbing my arm, with desperation in her voice. "Please Skylar, it's all true! I know there is no magic here, in this world. But in another world, in Sorcha, there is!"

Shaking my arm free, I replied angrily. "Mom! Just leave me alone! I don't want to hear anymore lies!" I began to storm from the room when the bombshell dropped.

"Skylar, you should know, you are one of the children, one of the two I rescued from death." I turned slowly at this, my eyes widening.

"You're telling me that I am not your child?" I asked, terrified of what answer I would receive. To my horrification, Mom nodded, tears still running down her face. I stood there, dumbfounded. Without thinking, I ran out the door, unable to look at her in the face anymore.

"Skylar! Sky come back!" She had followed me out of the house, calling my name. "Skylar! Skylar! Sky-" A honking car. Mom screaming. The tires screeched. All these sounds stopped me in my tracks. When I turned around, I saw Mom lying in the street, sprawled on the ground with glistening pools around her. I did not need light to know it was blood. I sprinted back towards her. As I knelt down next to her, I was vaguely aware that the owner had gotten out of their car and was calling 911. I cradled Mom's unconscious body to mine, not caring about anything that I had just learned. Through my tears, I could make out a new shape kneeling next to me. It was Evan. He sat with me, telling me that it would be alright until the paramedics came. Soon, I heard a blaring siren and barely made out flashing lights through my tears. I remembered screaming at the men, not wanting to be separated from her. Then, all the sudden, Mom was speeding away from me in flashes of red and white light. It was at that point that I fainted.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When I came to, I was unsure of where I was. I struggled up and looked around. I was in a plain room, bare except for the bed I lay on and a few pictures adorning the pale blue walls. As I pulled away the covers, I realized I was still in my clothes from the night before. I gasped, the previous night's events coming back in a blur. Mom! Where was she? Frantically, I jumped completely out of bed and pulled the door open viciously. To my surprise, Evan was waiting right outside the door. We stared at each other for a moment and as I saw the pity in his eyes, I rushed at him, tears flowing, in order to seek comfort.

As he pulled me into an embrace, he whispered in my ear. "Everything will be alright Skylar, We'll go see your mother and everything will be fine." Too choked up for words, I nodded into his chest. Suddenly embarrassed, I pulled away and tried to discreetly wipe my tears from my face with my sleeve. Evan, being a gentleman, said nothing and took my hand, leading me outside to the car. During the ride to the hospital, hardly a word was spoken. I was too busy worrying about Mom. She had to be alright. She just had to be. What would I do without her?

When we got to the hospital, I was up and out of the car before Evan even had time to lock it. I could hear him telling me to wait but I ignored him and ran up to the front desk.

"Please what room is Kaia Jackson in? I am her daughter." The receptionist punched something into the computer and rattled off a number to me. I quickly thanked her and ran to the stairs, the elevator being too slow. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Evan finally enter through the hospital doors, but I did not wait for him. I needed to find Mom.

Taking two steps at a time, I finally reached the third floor, where Mom was. I raced quickly through the hallway and finally found the right room number. I stopped, for in the window of Mom's room, was the red haired man that I had seen arguing with Evan.

Bursting through the door, I strode right up to him. "Who are you and why are you with my Mom?" Finally, I could get a good look at him. His hair was more orange than red and he had a relatively young face, around his late twenties or early thirties. His hair covered one of his eyes but the other green orb was marred by a scar running vertically through it. His face did not change at all as he faced me, and as I was about to demand again who he was, he turned, giving me a full view of my mother, motionless on the hospital bed. Unbidden, the tears came once again as I looked at her bandage covered body. I moved passed the strange man and over to the side of the bed, where I dropped to my knees. Only a few seconds later, I heard the door open and looked behind me. It was the doctor, an older man, most likely in his sixties.

He began to speak. "Are you of some relation to Ms. Jackson?" I nodded and managed to squeak out that I was her daughter. He walked right pass the red headed man, as if he wasn't even there. The doctor put his hand on my shoulder and started to relay the details of Mom's condition.

"We worked through the night on her, the entire left side of her body was damaged by the car. In addition, she suffered internal bleeding as a result of a ruptured lung. Despite this, we were able to save her. Physically she is on the mend. However, for some inexplicable reason, she has fallen into a coma and is unresponsive." I started to cry harder. "We hope this is a temporary side effect of the trauma and will keep a close watch on her system activity." The doctor turned to leave.

"I am sorry for the grief this has caused you." With that said, he walked out of the door. I buried my face into the scratchy hospital blankets that covered Mom. Then, I heard the strange man speak.

"You can save her; she need not die if she were in Sorcha." That name rang a bell, but I couldn't put my finger on it. He began to speak again, in a deep, monotone voice. "All you need to do to save her is to touch her heart. It is that simple."

I looked into his emerald eyes and for some unknown reason, I found myself trusting him. As I began to stand up, the door opened once again and Evan stood in the entrance way, his eyes fierce as he saw the red headed man.

"Skylar stop! Do not do anything this man says!" My hand hung in the air, torn between deciding which man was correct. As I watched, the strange man vanished, without leaving behind a trace. My eyes widened, how was this possible? Evan began to curse and ran back out the door, leaving the room empty save my Mom and me. Despite the fact that I had known Evan longer, I found myself ignoring his command and I reached out to place my hand on her chest.

As soon as I made contact, there was a flash of pure white light. I felt like I was being pulled and stretched, like a rubber band. I closed my eyes, the light too blinding to keep them open. Suddenly, the pulling stopped, and I opened my eyes. I was surrounded by darkness. There was not a speck of light anywhere that I could see. Where was Mom? Why wasn't I at the hospital? As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized I had been wrong; I could just make out a small pinprick of light. It became bigger and bigger and I was enveloped by the light.

I looked around, trying to make sense of what was going on. I frowned as I saw two objects, each about the size of a pillow twelve yards or so away from me. Walking closer, I gasped and ran towards the objects. They were not objects at all, they were two babies! I reached them but as I tried to pick the nearest one up, my hand passed right through the baby. I tried to do the same with the other, and my hand passed through that one as well. I sat back on my heels and examined them more closely. One was a baby with skin as dark as a moonless night sky and the other as white as freshly fallen snow.

As I watched them, each of the babies began to squirm. I tried to help them, but once again, my hand passed through them. This time though, as soon as my hand went through them, they opened their eyes. I fell back in astonishment. The dark baby's eyes were completely black, a full pitch black iris. The light baby's eyes were just the opposite, there was not iris to speak of, the eyes were pure white. What kind of children were these? As I stared in astonishment, the two children began to cry in unison. It was unlike any cry on Earth, and I had to cover my ears against the shattering cries.

The sound grew in pitch and instinctively I closed my eyes. And, just as sudden as it began, the wails stopped. I opened my eyes and found myself not looking at pure whiteness, but instead a dark grey space, churning with power. I became aware of white wisps around me, and the fact that I was gradually getting soaked through my clothes by the strange wisps. All too late I realized what the grey and the white streamers were. I was in the sky, the wisps the clouds full of rain and the grey beneath me was the ocean, convulsing within itself. I screamed and as I screamed I began to plummet. I fell like a stone; my stomach felt like it would burst out of my throat. I was going to die. I didn't know what had happened to me, but I was certain that there would be no possible way for me to survive a freefall from the sky. I closed my eyes, waiting for my body to break upon the water like an egg on a rock. But the impact never came. Instead I felt something wrap around me as I fell into not the water, but another body. Opening my eyes, I was greeted by the strangest sight. I was on a great flying beast, its silver fur a sharp contrast against the close deep blue of the ocean. Looking down, I realized that two arms were wrapped around my middle. I turned my head back to look at their owner and was greeted by a smiling face.

The smile widened and began to move, forming words. "Hi there, I'm Alize! It's a pleasure to meet you!" All I could determine was that the voice that spoke was female before I promptly fainted from shock.

For the second time that day, I awoke from a faint. I really had to stop doing that; it couldn't be good for my health. I tried to sit up; wincing because my head felt like it was trying to break free from the rest of my body. Despite my body's discomfort I opened my eyes, determined to find out what was going on. I would have believed that everything was a dream, had it not been for the fact that I was laying on a straw bed in a damp cave. It was a small grotto, no bigger than my living room. A fire was smoldering in the center and a fresh breeze came in through the mouth of the cave. All the furnishings to the cave were homemade, a wobbly looking chair, a small table made of sticks and twigs and even bowls, no more than hollowed out coconut shells. Despite my various worries most pressing being where was I and where was Mom, I found myself looking closer at the cave. Someone had drawn pictures on the rock walls. There was one of the sea, with colorful depictions of the fish and plants that lived within. There was another of a rainforest, with strange, wide eyed creatures dwelling in the trees. The one that caught my eye though was of a girl. Normally this would be a conventional picture of a teenager with red-orange hair, except for the fact that she was on the back of an enormous cat. It couldn't be. I had thought that I was hallucinating when I was saved by the flying animal and the girl. Yet here was evidence that they were real and possibly lived in this cavern. I headed to the opening, intending to look for more clues as to what was going on. What I saw though, stopped me in my tracks.

It was so beautiful, it was surreal. Not even ten yards from where I stood lay the clearest, bluest water I had ever seen in my life. It curled, repeating its rhythmic lullaby for the entire beach to hear as it washed gently over the sand. The sand! It was pure white, almost as if it were snow. As I walked on it, I felt like I was strolling upon sugar, its consistency was so fine. I reached the water and put my toes in, the water feeling as though I had put my feet into warm bathwater. It was neither to hot nor to cold. A bird squawked behind me and I turned to try to glimpse the creature. Instead, I saw the pure green of a forest untouched by the greedy hands of men. I had never seen trees so tall. The great redwoods of California stood like mice to these great giraffes of trees. I was completely awestruck.

Something began to nag at me though. The entire area was so pristine, it seemed as though no human had set foot on this land. Yet if there were no people than how was I saved from plummeting to my death? I was quickly answered when a shadow passed over top of me. I tried to look up at it but the sun glared down, blocking my view. From behind me I heard the whooshing of a bird in flight and I turned around. Heading toward me was the very creature that had been drawn upon the cave walls. I began to run, fearful of what such an alien creature could do to me. I had not gotten far when something hit me as soundly as a cannonball hitting the side of a ship. My breath was knocked out of me as I fell face first into the soft sand. I could feel something sitting on me as I struggled to breathe. Suddenly the weight was lifted from me and I sat up gasping as air slowly returned to my lungs. There was a disturbance in the sand, and next thing in knew, I was face to face with a pair of twinkling grey eyes. A hand was offered to me and I took it, glad of the assistance.

I stood up, and gasped. In front of me stood the girl from the cave drawing. Her hair was slightly darker than in the cave, reflecting the sun rays. She appeared to be the same age as me; we were also about the same height. She stuck her hand out in front of me again and this time I shook it.

"Hi, we met yesterday but you were falling so you probably don't remember. My name is Alize, and I live here with Noemild. You met her too; she was the one who spotted you. A good thing she did, otherwise you may have landed smack down in the water. Why were you floating in the air anyway? I understand it's not a very common thing to do. Anyways, once you fainted we brought you back home but we had no food to give you so we had to go hunt. I'm sorry I'm being rude, ah what was your name again?" She looked at me questioningly.

I was flabbergasted, who could talk so much with one breath? Croakily, I managed to squeak out "Skylar" before she began her tirade of babble again. Somewhere between bananas and mountain scaling, she suddenly, and thankfully, cut off. Approaching us was the flying cat. No, I had been wrong, it was not a cat. The animal had the head of an eagle, the body of a lion and it flew. It was a griffin. Something was wrong, there were no such things in Earth.

Then, the beast began to talk!

"Greetings, young Skylar." It turned to Alize. "Now little one, let us not patronize our guest with useless discourse." She, for it had the voice of a woman, turned her head back to me. "I believe the talkative one had mentioned me, I am called Noemild." It seemed Alize could hold her tongue no longer.

"Noemild and I live on this island alone. It can get a bit boring, but now that you're here, everything is going to be great!" She continued her ranting as the griffin chuckled, a deep rumble in her chest.

What was happening to me?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I was numb. There was no other way to describe it. In the last twenty four hours I had feared for my mom's life, met the mysterious red headed man, and somehow had landed on this island inhabited by this crazy girl and her mythical beast that shouldn't exist! Dully, I realized that Alize had grabbed my arm and was pulling me up the beach. At this point I had few options so I allowed her to continue to drag me back to the cave I had awoken in earlier that day. Noemild kept a few paces in front of us at all times, I think she sensed my uneasiness towards her. We reached the opening and I was gripped by a sudden fear. I could not explain it, but I did not want to go back into the cave. Alize, who had been talking aloud the entire time, saw my hesitation and smiled.

"Don't worry; it's just a small cave. You can't get lost in it, plus there is always the fire going so you can see everything. I sweep it every week so there isn't anything to trip on either." Alize dropped my arm and disappeared into the grotto. Noemild turned an eye to my direction then nodded her head towards the entrance. I took a deep breath and walked back into Alize's home.

Alize began to speak once more. "Are you hungry? I gathered some berries and Noemild caught a fish for us. Here, sit down and I'll make you a plate." Alize gestured to a log nearby and I sat down. Alize bustled throughout the cave and presented to me a plate with some sort of purple and reddish berry and pieces of a cut up fish. I ate it quickly not realizing how hungry I was. When I finished I looked up to see Alize and Noemild staring intently at me.

Noemild began to speak. "Human child, how have you come here, and for what purpose?" Despite my fear towards the griffin, her voice commanded my respect.

"I'm not sure…" I said meekly looking at the ground and I continued, "I was with my mom in the hospital when a strange man told me to touch her and she would be better. I did and I was pulled into darkness. It turned light and I saw two children. Then, I was suddenly transported here, where you saved me." I looked at Alize, her eyes wide. "I don't know if I'm crazy but before my mom was hit she told me about some magic and some place called Sorcha." Suddenly it clicked, Sorcha, that what this place must be! Mom had said there was magic there, and if a griffin wasn't a sign of magic than I don't know what is. I sighed and pulled my legs up to my chest. "Am I in Sorcha? Is that what this island is called?"

Alize began to speak. "I'm sorry, I've never heard of such a place. This island is called Cliff of Leaves." She turned to Noemild. "Have you ever heard of Sorcha?"

The silver griffin was silent for a moment. Then, she turned towards me with pity in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but it is not my place to tell you. The world is changing and I fear that you will have much sorrow in the days to come." With a heave she got up and walked towards the opening with her back to Alize and I. "I have lived for many centuries and seen much death. Yet I have also seen much life. I know you two know naught of what I speak of but before this month is out, you will be forced to accept your destinies whether you want to or not." Noemild turned towards us and I saw tears glistening in her eyes before she spread her wings and flew into the air.

Alize and I sat in silence, thinking over what Noemild had said. Then, Alize began to speak. "You know, I have lived with Noemild my whole life and have never heard her talk like that. I never even imagined that she had a life before me. I just assumed that her whole life was here with me. I know you don't feel comfortable around her, I can sense your fear. But please understand, there is nothing to be afraid of. Noemild taught me everything, how to speak, write, hunt and even cook. She has always been a mother towards me, especially since we are the only two capable of speech on this island." Alize put her head in her lap and I felt the need to comfort her. It was then that I determined that I would try to like Noemild, for a mother is a mother no matter the form. I walked over and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me, why is this place called Cliff of Leaves?" I attempted to distract her in hopes that she would go back to being her cheery self. Alize lifted her head and gave me a grateful smile. She stood up and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, it's easier to show you than explain it."

Alize led me out of the cave and we began to walk down the beach. Soon, we came to the edge of the great forest. I could barely make out a trail twisting through the trees. Alize pulled me along through the mighty trees. I smiled. It was nice to see nature so pristine. On Earth there was hardly a place where you could find it untouched by litter and pollution. We walked along the path for almost thirty minutes. I soon realized that we were going uphill, though I had lost all sense of direction because of the many twists and turns the trail made. I would have been more frightened, but Alize led on without hesitation so I assumed she knew what she was doing.

Finally, I began to see a clearing through the trees. Alize broke from her rant, something about fruit and a monkey, and addressed me.

"We are here! This is my favorite spot on the island, you'll see why." We emerged from the trees and my eyes grew wide. The clearing was actually the top of a cliff. From my vantage point I could see the entire island. I understood why it was called Cliff of Leaves, for everywhere you looked, there was green. Directly below me the trees appeared so close together that their branches formed a blanket of emerald before meeting up with the white sand. It was so beautiful there were no words that could describe it.

"Wow." I managed to say and Alize gave me a big smile and threw up her arms towards the sky.

"I know! It's astonishing!" She began to dance, humming some made up tune. To my own surprise, I found myself joining her. We danced atop the cliff in the sunlight, moving to our own music. I liked this girl. She talked a lot but she was nice and carefree, a change to the somber people in my world. Alize interrupted my thoughts when she ceased dancing and humming.

"I can't believe I almost forgot! It's almost sunset so I get to show you the colors!" Once again she grabbed my hand and I trailed behind her, confused. What colors was she talking about? Shrugging, I decided just to go along with it. Alize had proved to be an eccentric character and I doubted that I could do much to get the truth from her if she wanted it to be a surprise. We walked back towards the way we had come. However, it soon became clear that we were not going back to the beach because we were continuing to head uphill. Soon we reached a wall of rock. I was even more confused, how was grey rock colorful? Alize laughed at my bewilderment and led me closer where I saw an opening in the stone, barely wide enough to fit through.

"Come on! We have to hurry!" Alize disappeared through the crack and I, having no choice because I was pitifully lost, followed her in. Pressed up against the rock walls I moved slowly through the crack. It was dark and I could barely make out Alize in front of me, that is until I emerged in a cave, similar in size to Alize's grotto down at the beach. Frowning I looked around, I couldn't see Alize anywhere. There weren't many places to go; I could see all the walls that made up the cave.

"Alize?" I called out to her. Suddenly, her head popped up, seemingly from the ground. I jumped, surprised, when she spoke.

"Follow me silly!" She disappeared again and I walked over. There was a staircase built into the ground, descending into the depths of the cavern. I could make out Alize as she climbed down the steps. I followed her, curious as to what I would find. As I walked farther down, I began to hear a noise, it sounded like water rushing over rock.

Alize's voice floated up from below. "It's really beautiful! I discovered it by accident but boy am I glad that I did!" The sound got louder and as I turned the last corner, I came upon a great sight.

The sound of water was a great waterfall. I could not see where it began because it was so high above me. At my feet was a pool where the waterfall emptied. It was about the size of an average room, with a stream leading away from it. The stream disappeared into what seemed to be the cavern wall but when I looked closer, I saw there was a small opening where it emptied out of. I could see why Alize liked this place, it was beautiful with the waterfall, but I did not understand what she meant by colors. I could only see the inky blackness of the water at my feet and the dark grey of the walls around me.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder but relaxed when I saw it was Alize. Silently she pointed upwards. I craned my neck and could just make out a disk of light above, a small opening in the roof of the cavern.

I turned to Alize, "I don't understand…" I trailed off because she was holding a finger to her lips. Again she pointed upwards and I saw that the day was ending by the purple sky visible in the rooftop opening. We stood together in the quiet, Alize waiting for some unknown signal and I thoroughly confused. Finally, Alize gave a gasp and I saw that the purple sky was now black. I was about to suggest we get back, thinking that Alize might be crazy after all when the walls began to emit a soft glow. It was as if there were a million fireflies, all nestling in the rock wall. But unlike a firefly's yellow light, there were all different colors, red, blue, green, orange and every other color imaginable! It was as breathtaking as my first view of the beach. When I felt a tug on my sleeve I looked at Alize with wide eyes who merely pointed down.

The lagoon that had been black with darkness was now filled with light. The rocks in the pool were all glowing as their counterparts in the walls. However the water reflected the iridescence and gave the appearance that the colors were alive with the way they danced around one another. The waterfall came alive with color reflecting the hues of the glowing rocks around it. I had never seen anything so perfect in my life.

Alize and I sat and watched the multitude of colors, losing track of time. Soon though, I began to feel drowsy. Alize noticed I was tired and stood up, pulling me up along with her. She led me towards a narrow part of the stream and we jumped over it. My new red haired friend guided me to an edge of the cavern opposite the stairs we came down from. There in the wall was a crack similar to the one we had entered it and we entered it. I followed Alize through, my eyes getting heavier as we walked and after several minutes we ended up back in Alize's cave. Sleepily I noted that when I had woken up here before I had not noticed the entrance to the waterfall cavern. Alize led me to the same pile of straw I had slept in before and I was out before I hit the ground.


End file.
